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Arts centre designs unveiled

A little rain didn't stop dozens of people from gathering downtown Wednesday to view conceptual designs for the new performing arts centre.

Groups huddled under white tents, sipped gazpacho shooters and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres as they perused tables lined with renderings of the building's four halls, lobby and contemporary exterior.

The new $54-million centre will include an 800-seat concert hall, a 150-seat dance and theatre hall, a 180-seat film theatre and a 250-seat recital hall.

The designs reflect features of other buildings on St. Paul St., such as height and materials, said executive director Steve Solski.

"The life inside the centre will be captured on the street through the lobby," he said. "(The designers) have done a nice mix of glass while still paying tribute to the downtown."

The lobby is visible from the street through sweeping glass windows framed in limestone.

It's the centre's most important feature, said Debbie Slade, director of the Centre for the Arts at Brock University.

"When we spoke with the designers, we said whatever you do, don't cut the lobby," said Slade, who is also part of the user group providing input for the project.

The event began with a flash mob performance by Niagara Chorus and concluded with a set by Ron Sexsmith. People in attendance were asked to post comments about the designs on Twitter and Facebook. Those suggestions will help the architect complete the conceptual designs, said Solski.

St. Catharines resident Diane Brooks travelled downtown with a friend to see the designs because she "likes the arts."

"I think it's a wonderful way of bringing life to the downtown," said Brooks, who added she used to teach Sexsmith.

An online comment posted by G. Alexander to the live web chat on the city website was slightly more critical.

"The size of the lobbies (sic) appear to be small, particularly the large theatre. While measurements are not shown, it would appear that 800 perosns (sic) would more than fill the area..." they wrote.

In six weeks, the initial design will be finalized, which will give the architects and organizers a firm cost for the centre, said Solski.

After that, the process will move to the next stage where details are added, said Gary McCluskie, from Diamond and Schmitt Architects.

They expect the tender process to begin in May, he said.

While the architects are focused on the visual elements, they're working to ensure the acoustics in each of the performance halls meets professional standards.

"You never know what it's going to sound like until it's finished," said Bradley Thachuk, principal conductor for the Niagara Symphony. "Esthetically, it looks beautiful, but the sound is most important."

Diamond and Schmitt designed the Montreal Concert Hall and have experience building acoustic elements into a large space. An acoustician advises the designer on space and materials, said McCluskie.

The concert hall is being created to carry natural sound without amplification, he said.

"An 800-person hall has a certain sound," he said. "We know if it's a shoebox shape and tall, the voices inside generate a large volume."

Robin Patterson, artistic director for Theatre Beyond Words, said she is looking forward to watching the design evolve.

"It looks interesting," she said.

Patterson had hoped there would be a loading dock leading directly into the dance theatre venue. Right now, the dock sits behind another theatre space and leads diagonally to the dance theatre.

"Looks like a lot of people wanted that," she said. "But we'll see. The devil is in the details."